Automobiles and other machines may vibrate during normal operation. These vibrations pose design challenges to manufacturers. Fasteners used to assemble various components of the automobile may eventually fail as a result of vibration.
Special tools may be required during installation of components of the automobile to install and remove the fasteners. When a required special tool is unavailable, another tool may be used in an attempt to complete the task. As a result, the fastener may be damaged or the fastener may be destructively removed and replaced.
The automobile and the fasteners used therein are also subjected to extreme temperature variations. A range of temperature from about −20° F. to about 120° F. is typical for most of the fasteners used in the automobile. Since components of the automobile are subjected to repeated expansion and contraction as a result of the temperature variations, the fasteners may become distended and susceptible to failure.
Additionally, geometric variations in individual components of the automobile are tolerated to some degree. A cumulative effect of the geometric variations throughout multiple parts is known as a tolerance “stack-up”. The tolerance “stack-up” may result in a misalignment of fasteners.
It would be desirable to provide a fastener resistant to vibration that may be installed and removed without the use of special tools, provides consistent fastening through thermal expansion cycles, and minimizes the effect of assembly tolerance “stack-up”.